Edward Ching-Te Chao, 88, died from heart failure at his home in Fairfax, Va., on Feb. 3, 2008. He was born in Suzhou, China, and came to the United States in 1945 to teach Chinese to American troops.  Following the war, he was admitted for graduate studies at the University of Chicago, where he received his Ph.D. in geology in 1948. Chao then moved to Alexandria, Va., to work at the U.S. Geological Survey, where he had an illustrious 45-year career from 1949-1994.  His extensive career covered the diverse fields of meteorite impacts, lunar geology, coal petrology and economic geology. In each field he was known for the innovative research techniques he developed and employed, and he was highly recognized for the significant contributions he made. In 1972, Chao became one of the first scientists to lead scientific exchanges between the U.S. and Chinese governments to promote the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. Nationally and internationally, Chao was also known for mentoring and encouraging other scientists. 

Chao began his career at the USGS in the Branch of Military Geology making engineering evaluations. He later transferred to the Branch of Geochemistry and Petrology, where his investigations focused on identifying new minerals in the Green River Formation and the abundance of zirconium in igneous rocks. From 1960 to 1977, he turned his attention to meteoritic impact and lunar studies. He carried out pioneering investigations into the optical and chemical characteristics of tektites. He was the first to recognize coesite (a high pressure form of silica) in nature and the first to recognize and describe another high-pressure form of silica that he named stishovite. For these two discoveries, he was awarded the Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania. He continued his research in the areas of terrestrial and lunar impacts, which led to additional awards and recognition, including the Barringer Medal by the Meteoritical Society in 1992. In the citation for the Barringer Medal, it was noted that “Ed Chao is the quintessential founder of a new area of research in metamorphic petrology: impact metamorphism of natural rocks.”

Chao was detailed to NASA in the mid 1960s to work on designing the lunar sampling program. He was a member of the preliminary examination teams and a principal investigator for the Apollo 11-17 research programs. For the Apollo 12 mission, he even was sequestered with the astronauts to analyze the moon rocks they brought back.  Following his work on lunar rocks, Chao moved his focus to coal petrology.  His coal studies emphasized the importance of combining megascopic and microscopic characterization of coal. He provided evidence to correlate differences in composition and textures with different origins (autochthonous versus allochthonous) for coal. His last research effort was on the Bayan Obo ore deposit in Inner Mongolia China, the world’s largest known rare earth, iron, and niobium deposit. To this study he also brought a fresh perspective and innovative analytical techniques that led to a new interpretation of the deposit’s origin.

In addition to the Wetherill and Barringer Medals, Chao’s scientific awards included the Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award, NASA’s medal for exceptional scientific achievement, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior U.S. Scientist Award and the Ries Cultural Festival Award for his outstanding contributions to understanding the geology of the Ries Crater in Germany. Asteroid 3906 Chao was named in his honor, as was the mineral chaoite. During his career, Chao was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, the Meteoritical Society and the Mineralogical Society of America. In addition, he was a member of the Geochemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the Geological Society of Washington.

After his retirement from the USGS in 1994, Chao pursued his many other interests, including mind and consciousness research as related to Eastern Buddhist teachings, Chinese calligraphy and music. His spiritual explorations led him to study, memorize and provide a new translation of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching into English. 

Chao’s marriage to Vera Chao ended in divorce. He is survived by his wife, Yong-Sil, of Fairfax, Va.; his two brothers, Tim and Walter; three children by his first marriage:  Katherine Evans, Evelina, and Daniel; six grandchildren and one great granddaughter; and three stepchildren:  Shey Wakely, Unyong Waide, and Hyong-Bum Kim and their children.

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